She's Right Here
by WillowWitch
Summary: Ellone had passed away, and Squall isn't in the best mood, so the others decide to snap him out of it with a concert! Features dubbed version of Guarded by Disturbed! Dedicated to DisturbedGirl103! Please Read and Review!


WillowWitch- Okay, this is a request from DisturbedGurl103, and I'm writing it as a thank you for her being the first person to review my Selphie x Irvine story, so please enjoy this! However, I am sorry to say that I don't usually write Squall x Rinoa stories since I don't really have a liking towards Rinoa, but still, I tried my hardest!

Rinoa- WillowWitch does not own Final Fantasy VIII or Disturbed songs or Disturbed itself…

WillowWitch- ON WITH THE STORY!

* * *

Squall Leonhart, SeeD of Balamb Garden, quality gunblade user, had been in his room just lying around thinking, until a knock had come suddenly to his door. He turned towards the wall, hoping that even if someone does come in, they'd go away and think he was sleeping. He wasn't really in the greatest mood. Ellone, otherwise known as 'Sis', had just recently passed away. He had just received the call from his supposed father, Laguna, who wasn't so happy about it, either.

Apparently, Ellone's gifts in letting people see the past spread an infection throughout her body. Therefore, every time she had used her power, the disease spread more and more until she had begun to grow weaker and weaker. Eventually, she had passed on, and her burial had been a couple of days ago, which everyone including him had attended.

However, he couldn't shake a feeling as though he had left her again… The first time, he felt that he didn't have anyone, anymore… From then on, he began to get rid of thoughts about friends so that no one would leave him anymore, that everything would be fine if he did everything alone… But… He couldn't… And now when he finally got her back, she left again…

However, this time, he didn't have anything more to give up… Other than everything he had gained since becoming a SeeD. His friends, his title, his girlfriend… Yeah, he had given up on Rinoa, as well, and everyone else in the world. Yet, all everyone would think of was what benefited them. Everyone grew irritable with him for being this way when he was their leader…

But they didn't know… They didn't care… They just needed him to be there for them when they needed it, but no one could repay the favor… No one cared about him being alone… All alone… Without his mother, father… Ellone…

…Rinoa…

That's right. Rinoa had gone back to visit Timber to see Watts and Zone at the worst time. It had been right before the news of Ellone had arrived. She did come back a couple of times, but he didn't talk to her. He was too… depressed…? Would that be the word? It doesn't matter… What matters is that now he had no one… Again…

…What was he to do, now…?

The person who had been knocking obviously didn't give up that easily. Then again, who had done so in Balamb Garden? He was the one who taught and inspired them not to do so… The person had opened the door and walked in…

"Squall…?"

It had been Quistis. Of course. The one person who had wanted to replace Ellone the most when they were kids had come in to possibly lecture him about his duties. Selfishness… How much more of it can he take…? No one knows… However, it sure doesn't seem to long from now.

"…As your friend and not your worker… Please get better…"

She had silently walked out like she had when she came in, and it shocked Squall a little… What was that…? Quistis hadn't usually been a person who'd leave such a topic at that. No, there was always something Quistis had to say, and now that she didn't, he was shocked…

He sat up. He had also noticed that even though he barely breathed or moved, she knew he was still awake… Was he that obvious, already? He had been caught, so he might as well do something. He hadn't left his room or his bed for two weeks…

After he received the news, he thought he'd try something different to deal with it. He thought he'd try to easily forget about it and go around as if nothing happened. However, it seemed that no one would let him do that… They had all been hurt by her death, considering she had been like an idol for all of them… And by one look at any of their faces, he'd be reminded of all the times he'd be with her when they were little. How she wanted to change the past, and how she even whispered in his ear that he had been her only hope…

He had enough of them reminding him, and locked himself up in his room to think. He yelled at anyone who even tried to lecture him about his duties at his time of hurt and pain… Which is what caused him confusion about Quistis coming into his room…

After a long shower, he changed into a new pair of clothes and walked outside, hoping to find no one around. His hopes were answered as the hallways had been empty and quiet. He decided to walk around a little.

He was tired. Tired of thinking, and needed to do something. However, training for three hours gets boring, and he left the Training Center to look for someone. Not that he really wanted to talk to anyone, but…

…IT WAS TOO DAMN QUIET!

No one had been in the halls. Not even that weird junior classman in the light blue shirt that would take laps as exercise for future purposes! What the hell was going on in his Garden? There were barely any people in their dorm rooms, too…

However, while walking by the directory, he noticed a big poster attached to the front of it. He knew it would have to be cleaned later, but that wasn't his problem at the moment. He soon read what it said and found out that there had been a concert being played in the Quad, and that it was mandatory for everyone to attend.

Now that he thought about it, this same flyer had been shoved under his door by someone. He hadn't really paid attention to it while leaving his room, though… He headed for the Quad, hoping that maybe a concert would get rid of his bored state. He couldn't even find Zell or Selphie around, and that was also odd, since they're the most noticeable people in Garden…

However, his thoughts were interrupted when he realized he'd have to pay to get in the concert. It was common sense, and somehow he'd completely forgotten about it. He grabbed a couple of Gil from his pocket and stuck his hand out to give it to the ticket person, but the person behind the counter shook his head. It was Nida. He should've known… He had noticed that Garden hadn't been moving for a while, and Nida had to have been doing SOMETHING with all this time on his hands.

"No, Commander. The producer requested that you get in free" said Nida, happy to see his leader outside of his bedroom for once in two whole weeks.

Squall simply nodded and walked in quietly. At first, he'd wondered who the producer had been, but assumed it to have been Selphie, who ALWAYS loved setting these kinds of occasions up. Knowing this, he began to search for everyone. However, he hadn't found any of the five people he traveled with in the crowd…

Suddenly, a bunch of fireworks had gone off and lit up the sky. He remembered the last time he saw fireworks was with Rinoa… He wondered where the girl had been at the moment… Until the curtain to the stage had gone up…

The first thing he saw was Rinoa at the mike with an electric guitar in her hand. Next to her ad been Zell by another mike with a bass guitar in his hand. Selphie had been at the drums, and Irvine had another electric guitar. Quistis had slowly walked up to the mike as Rinoa stepped back and the crowd cheered. She locked eyes with Squall on the stage and winked at him, taking in a breath to speak into the mike.

He looked at the girl he had been going out with and froze for a second… He hadn't remembered her coming back from Timber recently… Yet, he felt a feeling in his gut that said he was… glad that she was here…

"Hello, SeeDs and Garden students!" she shouted as the audience screamed in excitement. "I, Quistis Trepe, thank you all for tolerating our request for you all to attend this mandatory concert! Please give a hand to 'The Grievers'!"

With this said, she slowly walked off the stage and all the lights went off. Squall immediately thought something was wrong and tried to get out to see what it was, but everyone still kept their eyes on the stage as if expecting something to happen… And something DID happen…

Suddenly, the area had exploded with light and the band had started playing. They were actually pretty good. It must've been the practice they had when they had to do that one performance at Fisherman's Horizon… Zell opened his mouth to sing…

"**Guarding yourself from the love of the others  
Left you with nothing tonight!" sang Zell.**

The sound of his voice got the crowd loud and active with applause. Squall had been surprised. Zell had never sung to anyone before, but no one could possibly have expected THIS… But Squall couldn't help not looking at his… probably ex-girlfriend, Rinoa…

**"Why does it sound like the evil ones laughing  
Leaving us haunted tonight!  
You did decide..." Rinoa sang.**

Her voice seemed to be just as good as Zell's, or possibly better considering her applause was WAY louder than his. What could you expect from the new sorceress?

**"Now I want you, when you're gone, and now it's like  
You're hiding something just so we can't see  
Well then, I can't allow this to become another  
One of those times that I'm left in the cold… dead" Rinoa sang.  
**

"**There's no compromise! Just another tie  
I know I need to sever" They both sang together.  
**

The crowd suddenly created two new octaves as they had both sung that last part. He wasn't stupid, though… He knew that they wanted him to be here to hear this… Actually, they're so loud that he probably could've heard this from Esthar…

**"Guarding yourself from the love of the others  
Left you with nothing tonight!" Zell sang again.**

**"Why does it sound like the evil ones laughing  
Leaving us haunted tonight!  
You did decide..." sand Rinoa. **

"Ever haunted, by tragic things of your life  
Wretched depression, out in front of me…" Rinoa sang with a sad tone. 

He lookedup at Rinoa, and saw her eyes lock with his and stay that way for a while. He knew she missed him. It was clearly obvious just by one look in her eyes… However, he was kind of caught off-guard by the next verse.

**"Well now, it seems once again that you've lost another  
One of the one's that have broke through the wall  
Damned! Fate won't compromise!  
Please don't lose your soul,  
And let the evil ones laugh" they both sang.**

**"Please, now, decide!!!" sang Rinoa.**

He was at a loss for words at that… Was he really THAT distant from them, now…? Was he really becoming so despondent that he looked as though he was losing… his soul…?

**"You were confident, and ready to begin your life  
All for nothing, you will sacrifice  
You began alone, and so it will be when you die  
Until you wake up, now, what do you want?" sang Zell.**

"**Please, now, decide!!!" sang Rinoa.**

Squall heard this verse loud and clear… And understood just as well… He bowed his head down to think a little more, and walked out of the crowd as they sang the last verse…

"Guarding yourself from the love of the others  
Left you with nothing tonight!  
So now you know why the evil ones laugh  
And left you with nothing tonight!" they both sang.  


"**You did decide!!!" Rinoa sang.**

With that last part, the crowd burst into the loudest cheer and applause that could've been given that night… However, Squall had just left the room in time to hear the song end.

* * *

As everyone partied and had a drink, Rinoa had been looking around for the one person the song had been devoted to… However, he couldn't find him anywhere, though… Where was Squall…? Suddenly, she heard someone call her name. It had been Nida. He ran over to her, breathless from trying to get through the crowd. 

"Nida, what's wrong?" Rinoa asked him, worried that something might've gone wrong.

As soon as he caught his breath, he stood up straight and cleared his throat.

"Ahem, Squall had left a message for you before leaving. He said to meet him by the balcony… I'm not sure which one, I was too scared to ask. Sorry…" said Nida.

"It's okay, Nida. I think I know where he's talking about…" said Rinoa.

Squall had leaned against the railing of the balcony, staring out at the ocean where Balamb Garden had been parked near. The moon had been shining brightly, almost not letting the stars show themselves on the beautiful night… However, his staring at the night sky had been interrupted when he heard a couple of footsteps heading towards him.

"…You called me?"

He knew it was her.

"I wanted to ask you something…" he said softly, just barely loud enough for her to hear.

She hesitated.

"…What is it?" she asked.

He paused and turned around to face her directly and show her his serious look. This was a question he really needed an answer to…

"… Did you plan all this…?"

She looked away, but nodded.

"… I knew… Who else could've made Selphie and the others do such a thing…" he said.

She bowed her head down.

"I just hope you know why I planned it…" she said.

"…Yeah… So you even planned the part where you came into my room and told me to get better, Quistis?" he asked.

Quistis chuckled.

"Well, that part was Rinoa's idea. She of all people would know that you'd get confused if I made a subtle statement. She knew it wasn't like me, and obviously, neither did you… She'll be here in a few moments, so I'll leave you two…" she said, walking off.

He went back to looking at the night sky again, but not before he heard another set of footsteps heading towards him. He turned around, and there she was. She smiled slightly at him, hesitantly walking towards him.

"… Nida said you were looking for me…" she said.

He nodded.

"I wanted to say…" he started.

She looked at him and tilted her head to the side.

"You wanted to say…?" she asked.

He paused again. Taking a deep breath, he said…

"That I'm happy for you and Irvine, Selphie… I didn't say it before, and right now, I'm…" he started…

"Oh, it's alright, Squall, I think a song like that would make anyone feel guilty… Especially when we reworded it… Well, thanks for going through the trouble, and I'm sure Irvine will appreciate it, too!" Selphie said, happily.

"…Whatever…" he said.

She shook her head.

"Wow, I haven't heard that word in two weeks! Well, Rinoa's gonna be here, soon, so ciao!" said Selphie, walking out of the balcony and back into the previous room.

Once more, he turned back to looking at the sky. Remembering Selphie's last words before exiting the balcony, he merely shook his head.

"…Whatever…"

"Hey, I haven't heard that in a while"

He turned to her.

"Hey, Squall" said Rinoa, walking next to him to lean against the railing.

"… Hey…" he said.

"… So… Did you like our performance?" she asked.

He nodded. She giggled.

"… I rewrote the lyrics myself… Did it… bother you?" she asked him, debating whether or not to place a hand on his shoulder…

"…Not really…" he replied.

"… You know… We've all missed you for the past two weeks… You haven't said or done anything… It's… lonely…" she said.

There it went again… All about benefiting themselves again… When will they learn that the world isn't a great place? It's a place where you're on your own… I should've learned that the first time Ellone left, but then… I met…

"Squall… You know, you aren't the only one who's sad… It hurts, I know… I barely knew Ellone, but… You _did_ know her… That's what probably makes me miss her so much… It's the fact that she made you feel happy at such a young age…" she said.

"…Don't talk about her that way…" said Squall, startling Rinoa. "Don't talk about her the way you all did when Seifer was announced to be executed… She's not a memory, Rinoa… She'll never be a memory…"

"I never said she was, Squall, I'm just saying that I cared for her because she cared for you! … My point is that you shouldn't let things like this control you, Squall… It gets to you, and it controls your life! We said it in the song, remember? Didn't the song tell you about the fact that you haven't been yourself, lately? We miss you, Squall! All of you! Not just seeing you, but hearing your voice, knowing your thoughts, and just plain knowing YOU!" said Rinoa, placing her hands on Squall's shoulder as means of getting his attention.

"…"

"…Please, Squall… Talk to us again… After the fight with Ultimecia? You began to smile! You had answers, and you had people who care about you! And you still do, Squall! You need to remember that!" she said.

"… Ellone… she's not here…" he stuttered, not knowing what to say, anymore.

"Squall… Stop it, already…" said Rinoa.

"…What?" he asked, completely lost.

"Stop talking about Ellone! She may be important to you, but don't keep pretending that this is all about her, it's about you, too! She may have died, and we all miss her, but who's the one that's been affected the most by her loss all these years? The one that gave up everything just from the fact that she's gone again? You, Squall! YOU!" she said, pointing her index finger in his chest, nearly pushing him backwards.

Squall was really at a loss for words… As much as he hated to deny it, what Rinoa said was true… He did miss Ellone, but he always thought her loss had made him stronger from the first time she left… But then… Now that he looked back on all of his earlier thoughts, he finally knew she was right… But he was still hurt…

"Squall…" she started.

He couldn't take anymore words from her, but for some reason he couldn't move… As much as he didn't want to, he had to hear her continue…

…But…

She wouldn't… She only looked at him with serious marked all over her face… Then her eyes softened, and she placed her arms around his neck, startling him. Not knowing what to do, he embraced her, liking the warm feeling that he hadn't gotten in what seemed like months or years…

"…I'm sorry… I may have gone too far…" she said softly.

It took a moment, but he shook his head.

"No… I'm sorry… Rinoa, you're… right…" he said, making it her turn to be startled. "My old thoughts clouded my mind ever since she first left… They had taken over again when she left a second time… I… I couldn't bare losing her again… I couldn't bare losing 'Sis'…"

Her embrace on him tightened.

"But it's not that she's gone, Squall, remember? You said it yourself… She'll never be a memory… Plus, now I'm absolutely sure of one place she's in…" she said, and he looked at her as she loosened her embrace.

She pointed her index finger at his heart.

"She's right there, Squall… She'll _always_ be there… and she's always there in everyone else, too…" she said, smiling.

For the first time in a while, a curl had appeared at Squall's lips, nearly making Rinoa gasp. For once since Ellone's death, Squall had smiled. It was a warm, loving smile, and Rinoa was enjoying seeing how happy he looked at this moment… Her thoughts were interrupted when he had embraced her again… Putting his lips next to her ear, he whispered…

"Thank you… Rinoa…"

She smiled, hugging him back. Suddenly, Squall suddenly felt a presence near him. It was a nice, warm presence that was awfully familiar to both of them. It made the chill in his heart go away, and he immediately knew who's presence it was…

…It was Ellone's presence… Which had been in his, and everyone else's hearts…

…And he liked it…

But not as much as he liked this hug!

END

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WillowWitch- I don't know whether or not adding that very last sentence was a good idea or not… But I did it, anyway! Please read and review! And DisturbedGirl103, I hope this met your standards… And I hope that I didn't make the song crappy! 


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